Everything starts with a goal and so does this post. If you are looking to document your trip, then just jump in, point your camera, get one of those shots everyone else has, pack your bags and call it a day.

However, if you looking for something different, you’ll need to do a little more.

Like a computer programmer is taught to start with an algorithm, A photo needs to start with some planning. This becomes vital when you are shooting a cityscape. While people have various techniques, here is what I do and it works for me.

Before heading to any new destination, I start by scouting the location. The first of which is looking for photos. With a combination of Google images and flickr, I have a rough idea on the types of photos you can get at the location. Sometimes, I supplement this by looking at the map, even the satellite images of the place, which gives me an approximate idea of what is in store.

Armed with this information, I gather any additional information I might need. Things like the weather (for clothing and my shots) , timing of when the place is open, additional resources that I might need to get to / around the location and specific rules that might apply (some places do not allow tripod’s / bags, neither do they have places to store them, parking etc.).